A court has been told a husband took his wife's car without permission because he was too lazy to walk to the shops, and fled the scene after crashing into a wall.

Magistrates were told Lee Clough had been drinking before he got into the car, and was speeding before the accident - which left his friend injured.

The court also heard Mr Clough, 32, has no licence or insurance to drive.

Richard Parkhouse, prosecuting, said Clough failed to stop after the crash into sa wall on Harwell Street on plymouth on his way back from Aldi, despite being told to do so by witnesses, and was later arrested by officers.

(Image: Penny Cross)

Mr Parkhouse said Clough’s wife had not given him permission to use the vehicle but she had not made a complaint to police, reports the Plymouth Herald.

The court heard that on the day of the collision - November 13 - Clough had consumed two pints of cider while eating a meal at a pub.

Graham Kinchin, mitigating, said Clough, of Neswick Street, was remorseful and accepted he had made a mistake.

He said: “If there was an award for stupidity, Mr Clough would probably win it.

"This shouldn’t have happened. There was no need for this to happen."

Mr Kinchin said the decision to take his wife’s car came from “general laziness”.

He added that his client was having marriage difficulties and that the couple had plans to go on a make or break holiday to Portugal next week.

The court heard Clough has been diagnosed with type three kidney failure, pleurisy – a condition that causes fluid on the lungs – and Type 1 diabetes.

Mr Kinchin said: "He feels everything is going wrong in his life, which culminated in this particular incident, which he very much regrets.”

Clough, who has eight previous convictions for 12 different offences, pleaded guilty to failing to stop after a collision, driving without due care and attention, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

He was also in breach of a conditional discharge which he was given after he stole a dart scoreboard from a pub.

Sentencing, the magistrates said no action would be taken against the breach.

The bench handed Clough a 15 month community order, during which he must complete a thinking skills programme and 200 hours of unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a £75 victim surcharge and £75 in court costs.